A Manual To Better Young People

For a long time, avid young Namibian readers who enjoyed self-improvement books depended on international publications, but with more Namibian authors tapping into the motivational genre, young bookworms are spoilt for choice.

The beauty of this trend is that it has created a platform for young Namibians to tell their stories which many typical Namibians identify with.

Amalia Haikali, a final-year student at the University of Namibia’s Hifikepunye Pohamba campus majoring in pre- and lower-primary education, will be launching her book ‘Be A Better Person’ on Friday, 23 November, at National Library in Windhoek. had the opportunity to sit down with the young author ahead of the launch to share how she wishes to transform her audience’s lives with her book.

Haikali describes herself as hard working, open minded and considerate. “I am passionate about helping others and I love serving.”

She is a member of the Young Achievers Empowerment Project, Redefining African Women (RAW) and has served as an ambassador for the Stacey Fru Foundation. “With the Stacey Fru Foundation, we empower young people by helping them realise their purpose in life so that they know what they should focus their energy on as it helps them navigate through life when they are older. I am part of all these organisations because they are platforms for me to serve others,” she said.

Speaking on her book, Haikali noted that she wants to help young people to be better, just as the title of the book suggests. She defines being better as elevating and improving herself on a daily basis. “We all ought to live better than yesterday. If today you feel like you have done so good, you should make it a point to top today’s achievements the following day,” said Haikali.

She stressed that when she was writing the book, she was not just writing it for other people to read but she was also writing it for herself. Haikali maintains that the way she talks to others is the way she also addresses herself in this book. “I acknowledge that as a person I also have to be a better person first before telling others how to be better. It all starts with the person in the mirror. If I am telling others to be better I have to be better too,” said Haikali.

Haikali warned that the process of writing a book is not easy, especially if you have other commitments like school but what kept her going was her love for writing and imparting knowledge. “This book took me a long time to complete and when I lost my father, I almost gave because I lost myself during the process of mourning,” she said.

In the future, Haikali revealed that she would like to start writing books for children which can be used as teaching aids in schools. “When I was doing my school-based studies, I noticed that there are not enough learning materials for pupils in primary schools, so in the future I would love to contribute to the Namibian education system.”

Hailkali’s older sister Elizabeth Haikali commended her younger sister for being selfless in sharing her story to help other be better. “I am very proud of her for completing this book. I commend her for having the courage to be vulnerable and share her story,” she said.